We are a community of multitaskers, like the supermen and women of technology, able to do one thousand things at once. Okay, maybe not a thousand, but we are usually involved in two things at once. Whether we are cooking dinner and kicking a cat out of the kitchen or answering the phone and email at the same time, we like to fill our time with two things at once.

When it comes to being on a conference call, it may seem like the perfect time to call in on your cell phone and head over to the local market to get a tube of toothpaste (that counts as still working right?). What you might forget about while checking out is that everyone (including a boss or a potential client) can hear the beeping as things slide across the scanner and the muffled cursing as you try to hold your phone, pick up your bags, and get your change from the cashier. (Three things at once have a tendency to throw us off balance).

This is the perfect time to mute your own line using the *6 command. *6 is a command that can be used in a lot of different ways. Here are just a few ways to use the *6 command on your next conference call.

If you’re hosting a conference with multiple moderators and speakers, remember that your line is always open to the attendees. If you’re waiting for your chance to speak or simply listening in, press *6 on your telephone keypad to mute your line. You can use *6 again when it’s your turn to speak to open your line back up.

On conferences with a small number of attendees, you can use the *6 command to go through Q&A sessions. Each participant can keep their line muted until they have a question or a comment on the conference. As the moderator, you can see on the live call screen when someone unmutes their line and know that they intend to speak.

During a moderated Q&A session, once your line is unmuted, it will stay open until the operator goes to the next question in line. When you’re just listening to the answer to your question, press *6 to mute your line so that the moderator won’t be interrupted.

*6 is just one of the conference call star commands we have available, and you can check out the list of all our star commands. But remember, even with these tips, you should never assume that mute is on, and always be aware of your surroundings when on a conference call.